A plan that will relocate fewer students than other proposals has emerged as a favorite option as Folsom Cordova school officials continue their quest to redraw district boundaries in Folsom.

A new elementary school in Empire Ranch and Vista del Lago High School are scheduled to open in 2007, and Folsom Cordova Unified School District officials say attendance boundaries must be adjusted to balance enrollment at Folsom elementary, middle and high schools.

The district on Tuesday at Folsom High School hosted the second of three informational forums. What is being called revised Option A increasingly is the choice of parents who have attended.

"I think we're on the right track. We got some good feedback," said Debbie Bettencourt, district deputy superintendent.

Another forum is scheduled in the high school multipurpose room at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 15, and district trustees will consider the boundary changes at their regular meeting Dec. 15.

A key advantage of Option A is that it requires relocating about 230 students, according to the district, less than Option B (314 students) and Option C (341 students).

Most comments from the dozens of Folsom residents who attended Tuesday's forum supported Option A, citing other advantages as well. Those benefits include lower transportation costs, balanced enrollment at Folsom and Vista del Lago high schools, keeping enrollment at most elementary schools within capacity and retaining the foreign language magnet program at Folsom Hills Elementary School.

When the attendance boundary issue was presented Sept. 29 to a meeting of more than 300 people, the main concern of parents was keeping children in the schools they attend.

That message was reiterated Tuesday night.

"Please choose Option A or B so our children have some stability," parent Julie Turner said.

"It's a big traumatic thing when kids are moved," said John Morgan, whose son attends Oak Chan Elementary School.

Bettencourt told the parents: "It really is our intent that people have some stability. If you're currently attending one of our schools, we'd like you to stay there."

Bettencourt said the district again is revising Option A, taking into consideration concerns raised Tuesday - including using a greenbelt as a natural boundary between Empire Oaks Elementary and the new elementary school in Empire Ranch.

Another revision will allow students who live within the attendance boundaries of Blanche Sprentz Elementary School who were scheduled to go to Folsom High to attend Vista del Lago High instead. That would allow them to attend the same high school as their Folsom Middle School classmates.

Despite the support for Option A, some parents requested still another option.

"Please build a school in Parkway II," Cody Santero said.

A previous plan to build a school in the Parkway II development was scrapped because of concerns about the 11-acre site, including overhead power lines and the potential expense of mitigating naturally occurring asbestos.

Officials also said research indicated the subdivision's student population would be far less than projected and therefore insufficient to justify building a new campus.

Parkway II residents have appeared at several district board meetings this year, unhappy that their children are assigned to attend Theodore Judah Elementary School, several miles from their neighborhood, when other schools are within walking distance of their homes.

Bettencourt said the district is trying to redraw attendance boundaries so Parkway II students may attend schools closest to them.